1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to systems and methods of using converters for power conversion, and, more particularly, relate to switching frequency control of the converters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Power converters are used for converting power from one form to another in a variety of applications. For example, power converters may be used in renewable energy power generation systems, such as wind and solar power generation systems, for converting electrical power that can be transmitted over an electrical grid. In one specific type of wind turbine embodiment, an AC/DC converter known as rectifier converts AC power to DC power, and a DC/AC converter known as inverter converts DC power to AC power. In another example, converters may be used in switch-mode power supplies of consumer electronic devices such as personal computers and liquid crystal display televisions (LCD TVs). Converters used in the consumer electronic devices typically convert alternating current (AC) power drawn from a main power supply to direct current (DC) power for normal operations of the consumer electronic devices.
The converter typically includes one or more switching elements used for performing power conversion in response to switching signals provided from a controller. The frequency of the switching signals provided to the converter is typically maintained at a fixed value. When selecting the frequency to be used by a given converter, higher frequency switching signals lead to increased power losses whereas lower frequency switching signals tend to generate undesired harmonic components.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for control the frequency of converters to address the above-mentioned problems.